So here we are after a nice Barbecue (BBQ) season, it's time to clean it up and do the maintenance!

This is a triple unwanted task to do; The barbecue season is over, the weather is not nice anymore and the job is dirty! We have plenty of advice to make it as easy and clean as possible!

First of all - What do we clean?
Everything that toutches the food:
The grill and eventually a table attached to the barbecue(BBQ).

Everything that can give stains etc. on your trousers and other clothes in usage:

• The exterior of an eventual lid
• The exteroir of the Barbecue
• The ash holder/bin

Secondly - What cleaning products to use?
Prefferably as little as possible:
To dissolve the old fat mixed with carbon dust etc. on the lid and the border of the barbecue we're using a dissolvant, but with very limited quantities.

Thirdly - What to do with theBarbecue after cleaning?
Store it in a dry place. Or even better fire it up for a delicious barbecue meal!

Annual Maintenance and Cleaning of the Charcoal Barbecue (BBQ)

The first cleaning advice is to change to clothes that you do not care about! The stains you get will be very difficult to remove!Be sure not to use clothes that will later serve when you do painting! 

So, here is our barbecue ready to get a nice clean-up! Notice the Rapid'BBQ well placed under the barbecue (this is where we often place the Rapid'BBQ after use, when it is still hot, a place where our kids or our dog will not get close to).

First we need to remove all the rests of ash. To my big surprise the container was full! We note down we should empty it more often next season.

The lid is very fat on the inside, and this is the fat that will stain severly your clothes forever. On the other hand  we never get in there! Mais nous n'allons pas dedans! Watch out, as we move the lid on and off in the season there is a high risk the borders will touch clothes. It needs to be thouroghly cleaned.

This is also true for the borders of the barbecue itself. When you manipulate the charcoal, the Rapid'BBQ and the food you will grill, you have to watch out so that your shirt etc. does not touch it. Thourough cleaning is needed!

Let's start with the easiest barbecue cleaning, removal of the charcoal rests and ash. There is no need to clean the barbecue cup more than that. Use of water can start a rusting process in the barbecue.

As seen on the picture above, the fat is thick and very dirty! This is rests of fat smoke from the cooking with the lid closed. We will not clean the inside of the lid, but only the edges of the barbecue lid. Both the inside and the outside of the edge, without forgetting the part that is in direct contact with the barbecue edge. (Advice; once cleaned, do not put it back on the barbecue before the latter is cleaned as well). We're using a dissolvant that we pour on some cleaning paper, not directly on the barbecue lid (if not the dissolved barbecue fat will become liquid and come everywhere). As seen on the picture squeeze the lid with the paper with the dissolvant with your fingers and rub backwards and forwards. Repeat until the old fat gets off.